My entire life I played sports and did nothing else. Sports were my whole life, and I wanted nothing more in life than to keep it that way. My sophomore year of high school I decided to step into the world of theater, and it changed my life forever. All I expected was to get a small background role, but instead I was cast as the lead in Annie. When I heard the news, I just about died because I had never done anything like this before in my life. A tom-boy turned thespian? What is that? But it turns out, that was me.

When rehearsals started, I was nervous. Beyond nervous. What was I even supposed to do? I barely knew anyone and I sure as hell had no idea what I was doing. All I could think about was that I was missing practice. The more we rehearsed though, the more I fell in love. At the end of the first showing, I was the last to bow and there was a standing ovation- no feeling will ever top that. Annie gave me wings. It opened up this door to life that I did not know existed.

Throughout life, everyone tries to make you small. When you’re two and you reach for something new, your parents say “no!” When you’re ten and you get angry and throw something in the house, you get in huge trouble. When you’re a fifteen year old cheer leader who gets dumped over the phone by the football star, you just want to cry your eyes out all the time- but you don’t because you have to be strong. Each time I stepped on stage I had the chance to become a totally different person. I had the chance to pick up that new toy and run around the house with it. I had the chance to be overly angry, and indescribably sad. I got to become the big, exaggerated version of myself that I always wanted to be. Theater gave me the chance to take every moment life tried to make me small, and throw it all behind me. I never looked back.

After Annie, I quit sports and focused all my time on theater and choir performance. I got the role of a lifetime my senior year- Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (pictured above). It was, by far, the best decision I have ever made. Sports taught me a lot in life, but the stage took those lessons and multiplied them by a million. I learned to never, EVER give up- because even if a show seems like it’s going to suck, somehow the cast pulls it together and it ends up being spectacular. I learned to have faith in myself, and in others. I learned the importance of incredibly hard work- three to four hours, five days a week, for two months. I learned that the hard work more than pays off when there’s a standing ovation at the end of a show. I learned that make-believe is one of the most important aspects in life because it creates endless possibilities for growth and learning.

After three musicals, four plays, countless choir performances, and endless hours of rehearsal, I had to give up theater when I graduated high school to pursue a career in nursing. It was the hardest choice I have made so far in my life, but I know I will always carry theater with me. It is something I will teach my children. It is something I will always have, and I could never thank the stage (or Annie) enough for everything it gave me.